A new East Bay BART station named West Dublin-Pleasanton will provide the Tri-Valley another link to the mass transit system and close the gap of the existing 10 miles between the Dublin/Pleasanton and Castro Valley stations.
It’s also expected to take some drivers from of the oft-gridlocked Interstate 580, which BART runs through the middle of.
Groundbreaking for the $80 million endeavor will occur on Sept. 29 with the new station expected to open in 2008.
Jim Allison, a spokesman for BART, said the additional station to the Bay Area route had always been on transit officials’ minds when they first decided to extend service to the East Bay in the late 1990s and now it is coming to fruition.
“The thought was that eventually (the Tri-Valley) area would grow and ridership would support another station there,” Allison said.
The average weekday ridership at the current Dublin/Pleasanton station for last month was 7,828 people.
Along with the new station will be transit oriented development that will encourage people to not use their cars.
“Eventually, it’s going to be a transit oriented development which means it’s going to have about 200-plus apartments, a hotel, restaurants, office space–all within easy walking distance of the BART station.”
The parking lot will have 1,100 spaces.
One of the most well-known examples of this type of station is the remodel of the Fruitvale station in Oakland, Allison said, adding that this type of development is “something that’s taking place at a number of East Bay stations.”
The developer of the planned mixed-use project is Ampelon Development Group of Oakland.
Of the $80 million price tag, $50 million will be paid from BART revenues; $15 million from federal, state and local grants and $15 million from advance payment of the property’s lease.
The new station will be located alongside Interstate 580 between Pleasanton and Dublin, from Stoneridge Mall Road to Golden Gate Drive.
